cfc

I think SFA is definitely a "springtime" park--it's probably hell on earth during the summer. I really like the "neon" sheen of your KD pictures (and the awesome drawings)--excellent trip report. (I rather like the Grizzly, too.)

Chicks dig the Saturn.

^I think Dominator has the tallest loop of any floorless coaster. It's all about the adjectives, folks.

I finally went to Knoebel's for the first (or should that be "phirst"?) time last year at Phall Phunfest. I have been kicking myself since for not visiting the place for years. Long live Phoenix, the Scooters, and that classic haunted house!

I know that Alpengeist at BGE has seats for accomodating larger guests in rows five and six (which may be the same for other B&M inverteds). These seats have two belts, but I didn't notice if this was the same for Dominator.

^Actually, the seatbelts are pretty standard for B&M (not just Cedar Fair).

^^Holiday World should build some ride with the "Kidney Bean Inversion" in their Thanksgiving section. They could paint it green and yellow and call it "Succotash."

Looks pretty cool, Matt. I'm glad that Six Flags is trying to shake things up a bit with themeing, rather than just building a standard wild mouse. The ride photos are hilarious.

I'm locking this thread for two reasons: 1) People can learn more about Flash Pass on the park's Web site; 2) There's no need for a "second generation" video of the Flash Pass video (if you're a first-time Flash Pass user, you have to watch it at the park, anyway). Chuck

KD is putting in lots of "green" I was told under Dominator. (In fact, that green, mulch-like stuff you can see in some of the pics comes from "hydroseeding.") The landscaping should look pretty nice once it's finished (we've had a lot of rain in Virginia lately, and that slowed down the work). ^^Good to see you and Chris yesterday, Jeff--awesome pics and video in your thread (as usual).

Good stuff, as usual, Jeff and Chris. I'm glad the skies cleared a bit later in the day.

The ops at BGE's Apollo's Chariot were awesome a few weeks ago--one train on the first drop, the second train starting up the lifthill.

Aliens, people, and speeches--more from Media Day. . . . at Dominator. Thanks for reading. . . .we take a few last looks . . . But on our way out . . . Thanks for a great day, Kings Dominion! . . . Daddy never sleeps at night!" "Mama's got a squeezebox . . . Here's where Dominator squeezes your train like an accordion. There's a nice pop of air here--especially if you're in the back row. Relax--the net is there for your protection. Not theirs. Especially if you're sitting in the back. This loop is pretty forceful. "Berserker! You will kneel before Dominator!" Well, let 'em jam. We need more domination! A local Christian rock band was jamming away, too. . . . and chocolate fountain. . . . an ice sculpture . . . . . . the buffet! Hmm--bit of a line, but it was for a very nice spread, which included . . . Then they opened the ride for all guests. But first, . . . We also heard from Ken Moore, the assistant regional representative of the American Coaster Enthusiasts. Pat Moore, KD's vice president and general manager, welcomes the crowd. "Relax everyone! They're just the media reps from Rides on the Moon.com. They come in peace!" Looks like Dominator has attracted alien media!

More from Dominator's Media Day. Hmm--looks like it speech time. Best head down. More to come. They put on a second train later that morning. . . . I don't think it could take that curve very well. Yeah, my car's nice and all, but . . . I know I do. Yes, you'd probably find Dominator's midcourse brake run far more interesting than a 2004 Saturn Ion. Well, maybe my Saturn would rather look at a cobra roll than you, eh? Aw, you don't wanna look at my little blue Saturn. Look! There's my car! Here's what Dominator would look like to a bird--if the bird had a zoom lens. Let's head topside and get the real lay of the land. . . . and here. You might want to protect your ears here . . . One great thing about Dominator--there are plenty of excellent vantage points for photos. "Where did all these trash cans come from, Scoob? Yoiks! Looks like the Ohio Dominator Ghost has followed us to Virginia!"

Stormy skies didn’t stop Kings Dominion’s Dominator Media Day. Despite a rather wet, windy drive up from Williamsburg, the rain let up, making for a fine day for a pretty damn fine ride. Yes, Dominator! It dominates the front of the park. It makes Scooby-Doo’s Ghoster Coaster tuck its tail between its legs and run. Even Volcano has to assume the position. Dominator is now KD’s dominant ride. Ohio’s loss is Virginia’s gain. KD’s vice president and general manager, Pat Jones, said in her welcoming remarks that Dominator, the park’s 14th coaster, helps to keep KD on the “cutting edge of our industry,” with a ride that’s “unique to our market.” I’ll go along with that. I think Dominator is just what the park needs—a first-class, smooth B&M floorless ride that’s forceful enough for enthusiasts, yet enjoyable for, well, non-enthusiasts. Here are the vital statistics: 4,200 feet of track (the world’s longest floorless coaster) 161-foot-tall lift hill 157-foot first drop A record-breaking, 135-foot vertical loop, followed by four other inversions A top speed of 65 miles per hour A ride time of 2 minutes, 6 seconds Ms. Jones also commented that placing Dominator in the front of the park was “key,” because it puts front-and-center what KD is all about: “Kings Dominion is known for having one of the country’s widest varieties of roller coasters.” That’s true enough, as the park’s offerings range from the launched Volcano: The Blast Coaster all the way to classic wood, as in the Rebel Yell. "If you can speak (after your ride), we think you're gonna say it's one of the best coasters you've ever ridden," she said. As for me, I liked Dominator a lot. There’s nice airtime in the back seats (you’re just hurled into the first drop). But I really think this is a front-seat ride--it’s quite cool the way you just fly over the track with nothing underneath. It does “lug” a bit through the loop, but the cobra roll is amazingly smooth. You could bang your ears a bit in the corkscrews, though. This year is significant for KD for other reasons, too. It’s also the 10th anniversary of Volcano and the 20th anniversary of Avalanche (the only Mack Bobsled coaster in the U.S., I think). Here’s a look at Dominator Media Day. Hmm--time to find a better vantage point for photos. More to come. "Do you feel my wrath now! Pathetic fool! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!" Prepare for the fangs of the Cobra!" "Dominator will soon fix that!" "So, you're still semi-coherent, eh?" "Behold my Loop of Lunacy! You'll soon be a drooling idiot!" "Very well, slave! First comes my Plunge of Peril!" I live for bondage and domination! Me next! Note the how the camera rig dominates the front row. Consider yourselves dominated! Happy riders, ready for domination. Phew! Confirmation at last! Let's take a closer look, shall we? Oh, is that it? It has to be around here somewhere. Hmm--maybe if I go this way. OK, but where the heck is Dominator? "Bah!" says Dominator. "Nature rain! Dominator run!" Mother Nature seemed intent on dominating Dominator's Media Day.

The thread be here, mates: http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=40104&highlight=n%FCrburgring Post yer news there, sez I, for this thread be locked.

Hmm--this is way too similar to a previous poll ("Battle of the Manufacturers"): http://www.themeparkreview.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=511&highlight=battle+manufacturers Thread locked.

^I merged this topic with the rest of the Fahrenheit-related stuff. Thanks for sharing the article.

I really don't think we need this, as we already have the "Say Something Random" thread. Locked.

^I dunno--sometimes getting across LA can take as long as flying to Florida. I still watch the Simpsons every Sunday night, so I'm looking forward to checking this attraction out.

Just to clarify why the first TR was locked, it's not simply a matter of having a monitor large enough to see the pictures. Large photos take up more space on the site and take longer to open, which actually discourages people from looking at a photo TR (I made a similar mistake in my first attempt to post photos to TPR). That being said, it would have been preferable to use the "Edit" button on the original post, which allows the poster to upload new, smaller versions of the photos, rather than starting a new thread (which also takes up more space on the site).

^^I think you're right. The vast majority of tort cases are settled before trial. If they all went to court, the system would probably collapse.

^You're not allowed to carry anything on Thunder Dolphin, not even in your pockets. So, if they think you've got something in your pocket, you get patted down. "Hey, is that a wallet in your pocket, or are you just excited to be riding Thunder Dolphin?"

I don't understand what you mean here. If you mean there will be a bigger push to regulate elevators in skyscrapers, I'd say "yes." This would depend on the nature of the "accident," wouldn't it? If this horrible incident happened due to SFKK using faulty cables or failing to inspect rides adequately--or due to a flaw in the ride itself--the family would have every right to sue.

Hmm, let's see . . . Fuji-Queue--Between the hours of 9:00 and 3:00, four rides (one with a three-hour-plus wait). Not impressive. Yokohama Cosomoworld, Vanish--God, this irritated the hell out of me. They were running one train. Stop. Unload. People get stuff from lockers in station, then exit. Let in next group. Check their tickets. Open air gates. People crossover to put loose crap in lockers. Sit down. Check restraints. Finally, dispatch. You know, being as they don't let any riders into the station until the train finishes a circuit and the station is completely empty, why not get rid of the air gates? (It's not like they serve any purpose.) You know, folks, you could try checking people's tickets and letting them into the station while the train is cycling--would speed things up a tad. SFA--yeah, they were a mess a few weeks ago (were OK last year). BGE--Consistent train stacking and slow dispatches on Alpengeist. The way they run the Roman Rapids is pretty irritating, too. The ride uses a turntable, yet last season, they would bring two rafts into the station, stop the turntable, unload, load, check seatbelts, then dispatch. So, what's the point of the turntable? (I'm guessing there must have been some sort of "incident" to explain this.) It's not much fun to sit there on the lifthill while soaking wet, waiting to get into the station.